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Revelation #46- Final                                                                            

            Dear Listeners, have you been peaceful in the Lord during the week? We have finally arrived to the final chapter of the final book of the Holy Bible. I thank God for allowing me to search and study His word throughout the weeks. Chapter 22, along with chapter 21, continues with Eternity, the world of eternal life without sin, without tears, and of course an Eternity without the devil. Chapter 22 also spoke of the events that would unfold during Eternity. In fact, verses pertaining to Eternity comes to an end in 22:5. However, from verses 6 to 14, there is a warning once again to the people of the age of tribulation and millennium. Then, in verse 16, another warning is given to those living in the church age. Verse 12 mentions the Second Advent. What we have seen so far is that the Lord returned to earth in chapter 19. In chapter 20 he reigned for a thousand years. In Chapter 21, eternity began. Now, as Revelation 22:5 comes to an end, final exhortations, warning and blessings appear again from verse 6.

            Let’s read from (Revelation 22:1 KJV) ¶ And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. This water of life is different from the water that comes from the threshold of the temple in Ezekiel 40-48. The water that comes out of the throne in the book of Ezekiel does not match the content of the text as it comes from the Millennial temple. For example, the city of New Jerusalem in chapter 22 is 1,500 miles wide by  1,500 miles in height, but the city in chapter 48 of Ezekiel is 18,000 measures. The sizes are incomparable. Also, in Ezekiel chapters 40-48, the land is divided into 12 tribes, but in chapter 22 there is no division of the land. There is a pure river of clear water of life. Unto the woman of Samaria Our Lord said: …Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:13-14 KJV) In Eternity, there will be an actual crystal clear river that flows out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, and this is called the river of water of life. It will flow right out of the throne of God and flow straight down the middle of the street reaching the roots of the trees that grow along the road touch this river. What a wonderful sight!

            (Revelation 22:2 KJV) In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Do you remember the words similar to this one found in (Ezekiel 47:12 KJV)? This is the water that will flow from the threshold of the temple during the future millennial kingdom established on earth. And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine. Because the two words in Revelation 22 and Ezekiel 47 are similar, people may confuse them and mistake them for the same verse. However, the leaves in the book of Ezekiel are said to be medicine, and in Revelation 22, the leaves of the tree are said to be for healing the nations. These trees are not the same. We can realize that the model of events in eternity is what happens on earth during the Millennium. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Everything on earth is a model of what is in heaven. The two cities in Ezekiel 44-48 and Revelation 22 are not the same. The city in Ezekiel is a literal earthly temple through which the Levites come and go (Ezekiel 44:15). They have a literal temple in which they worship (Ezekiel 46:1). This literal temple is on a literal land, a divided land on this earth. This is not a heavenly city without a temple in it. The heavenly city has no walls. It was built on land divided into cities of the land, and the borders of the land were named and people could be seen worshiping in the actual temple. You will see that each element is different if you keep the image of this temple in mind and read the Book of Revelation as 21:22 says there is no temple. There are no Levites or sons of Zadok who serve here since there is no temple. The temple in Ezekiel is about 9 miles long, but the city of Revelation in heaven is 1500 miles long. The tree of 22:2 is the tree of life. The tree in Ezekiel is not called the tree of life. It bears twelve fruits, but the Bible does not call it the tree of life. Ezekiel 47:7 says there are many trees on the banks of the river, but it does not say what kind they are. The passages in Ezekiel are about Israel on earth, and we see 4,000 cubits worth of water flowing out of the house of the Lord to the south and trees growing on this side and on the other side of the stream. In Revelation 22:2, there is a river in New Jerusalem, but as a city without a temple,  the river in Revelation is in a city that is not built on any land and is not at all on the earth. This is in heaven. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, This tree is the tree that God forbade Adam when he expelled him from the Garden of Eden. ¶ And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: (Genesis 3:22 KJV) Sinners were cast out of Eden because they would live forever under the curse. But the tree of life will make its appearance again, because Eden will be restored. which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:2 KJV) The trees in Ezekiel were for food and their leaves were for medicine, but here it says the tree of life has leaves that heal the nations. These nations refer to nations distinct from Israel. This tree of life can be seen as healing the nations of the saved. Skip ahead to (Revelation 22:14 KJV) Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Revelation 21:24 KJV) And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. (Revelation 21:26 KJV) And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. There will be many peoples on earth in eternity. They will bring their glory and honor through the Twelve Gates to the New Jerusalem. Why twelve gates? Turn to (Deuteronomy 32:7-9 KJV) ¶ Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee. When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, God is a divider, not integrator; he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the LORD’S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. This is why the nations of the earth were divided into twelve borders. When God looks down upon the nations, he sees twelve nations, each representing one of the twelve tribes of Israel. And a year is twelve months. The number 12 has a meaning. There are also twelve apostles. There are 24 elders in the heavenly throne. The Bible says those who represent the saints of the Old and New Testaments throw down their crowns and worship God. We find similar words in Deuteronomy if we turn to (Acts 17:24-27 KJV) God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: The words of Deuteronomy and Acts are all connected. Times of 12 months. 12 bounds/ borders. The number 12 has a meaning. Through natural revelation, we can see that there are twelve borders on the earth as well, which are very specific twelve borders. First is North America. 2nd, Central America 3rd, South America 4th, Antarctica 5th, The Arctic 6th, Asia 7th, Africa 8th, Australia 9th, West Indies 10th, East Indies 11th, Greenland and 12th Europe.

            (Revelation 22:3-5 KJV) And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. This dominion begins during the millennium and continues into eternity. It should be noted how the Millennial Reign leads directly into eternity without apparent interruption. If we live for the Lord on this earth and become rulers in the millennial kingdom, we will become rulers of Eternity. Do you want to enjoy this blessing? This truth must be believed. Faith comes from hearing. Listen to these related words from (Daniel 7:14 KJV) And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:18 KJV) But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. It is a kingdom that will never, ever be destroyed. Unlike the current world, it’s eternal. A world without death, sorrow, pain, just joy. That is why this dominion lasts forever, not for 1000 years, but for eternity. This explains something unique in Genesis 1 and 2, where we see that there is neither morning nor evening on the seventh day. God just rested on the seventh day. The seventh day is the millennial kingdom. God said it was a day of rest. (Genesis 2:2 KJV) And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. On the seventh day, there is no evening or morning. Why is that? One day is with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. Our Lord Jesus Christ comes again on the seventh thousand years and reigns for a thousand years, and these days never end. The eve of this day is tribulation, but the morning of that day is eternal. The morning of the Millennium  leads right into eternity. Hallelujah!

            (Revelation 22:5 KJV) And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. These are the residents of New Jerusalem. It is suggested that the city also includes the saints during the Tribulation, as the expression and his name shall be in their foreheads. From (Revelation 22:4 KJV) is also shown in Revelation 14:1 telling us clearly that these are not Christians but rather Tribulation saints. and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; There is no need for sun or moon to shine on the city, but the sun and moon are still there to give light. The month marks the month, and the sun marks the 30 days that fill the moon. So, while the people in the New Jerusalem do not need the sun and moon, the people on earth still need them. Back in (Revelation 22:3 KJV) And there shall be no more curse: A curse fell on this earth once back in Genesis 3, and then it is completely removed here in Revelation 22:3. During the millennial kingdom, the earth is reborn, but there are still evil spirits and devils, and those who have lost salvation in hell in the heart of the earth, and in the end we have seen that Satan is active again. Eternity is when the curse is completely removed. Satan is present Even in the Millennial Kingdom, just chained up for a moment. Once the Millennial Kingdom comes to an end, the devil falls into the lake of fire. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in that city. We will live where the throne of God and the throne of the Lamb are. but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: The saved will serve the Lord. (Hebrews 1:13-14 KJV) says: But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? This verse states that angels are spirits. We remember the words in Luke 20:35,36 that at the resurrection we are equal with the angels. Taken together, these verses give us the following picture of Christians: Christians from eternity dwell in New Jerusalem in their dwellings made of transparent gold. There, in his humble dwelling place in glory, there are chambers of pure gold, where he will associate with holy friends who live eternally. He will share his past experiences with his friends in his glorified body, share their lives with each other, further studying and learning the word of God even then. In this environment, Christians will be in a sinless body like Jesus Christ will have fellowship with God and the saints throughout eternity. Perhaps a Christian may be invited to other planets. He may travel to other galaxies commanding them to be fruitful and prosper just like the Lord did back in the Garden of Eden.. Isn’t the Lord the Creator? We are to become just like Him. (Revelation 22:5 KJV) And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. This is the picture of heaven given in the New Testament, a clean city with innocent inhabitants, no filth, no death, no taxes, no drafts, no bills, no disease, no medicine, no wounds, no pain, no sorrow, no graves.

            (Revelation 22:6 KJV) ¶ And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. The things that will happen soon refer primarily to people in the tribulation. As mentioned earlier, all the words about Eternity end in verse 5. Revelation 22:6,7 warns again unto those during the Tribulation. We also see a warning to the people of the church age.

            (Revelation 22:7 KJV) Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. This book is mentioned six times in the final exhortation and once more as the book of prophecy, totaling a full seven, then the eighth new book as the book of life. This book primarily refers to the book of Revelation. But in another sense, this book can also be applied to the entire Bible. Because this final warning at the end of the book of Revelation is not found in any other book.

           (Revelation 22:8-9 KJV) And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. In the resurrection the saints become like angels. The angel who showed John all these things showed him in the past tense. Remember that John was raptured on the day of the Lord and is in the future 2000 years later. Daniel, of course, is in glory as he died hundreds of years ago. Daniel was told to seal it until the end, but John was told to open it and revealed it to us.

            (Revelation 22:10 KJV) And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. We know that the angel is possibly Daniel because we know that Daniel and Revelation studies go hand in hand. This isn’t proven, but it’s likely. The angle told John not to worship him as he was about to bow down. Worship only God. What an overpowering statement! Do not worship the gods of the world, worship only God. This is the same word given to us as well. Worship the real God, the true God. God is a Spirit. Bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do not worship Mary, do not worship the Church, but worship God. Do not worship education, do not worship science, but worship God. Indeed, the end is at hand. Jesus is coming soon.

            (Revelation 22:11 KJV) He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. as it is. The word continues. We are living in times like this. Time is urgent now.

            (Revelation 22:12 KJV) And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. The text is toward the Christians of this age who are waiting for the judgment seat of Christ or the tribulation saints who are waiting for the second coming of Christ. He will rewards according to your works.

            (Revelation 22:13 KJV) I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. That’s why we see repeated warnings given to people during the Tribulation and the Millennium.

            (Revelation 22:14-15 KJV) Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. It’s worth noting that the word dogs is used with people. In 2 Peter 2:22, dogs eat what they vomit.

            (Revelation 22:16 KJV) I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. Morning Star refers to Venus or the Sun. Our sun is a star, and he rises in the morning. Then we hear the final invitation.

            (Revelation 22:17 KJV) And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. The Holy Spirit says come. This is the message that the bride, the church, should also come. The command to come whoever hears is a message spoken to those who have been saved. Unsaved people cannot respond. Those who are thirsty can drink immediately. There are absolutely no restrictions. freely is a very important word. We have already went over this. It is the first word omitted from the Bible. The devil omitted the word freely eat: (Genesis 2:16 KJV)….Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (Genesis 3:1 KJV) The Devil first omitted and changed the word of God in the Garden of Eden. There is a relation between the first word of the Bible that Satan had the woman subtract and revise, and the first sin committed on earth. The first sin on earth was the omission of a word from a passage of the Bible, which omission was For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV) is related to the Word. Salvation is priceless. The value is so great that we don’t have the ability to pay it. Freely, saved without cost. whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. This part is directly applicable to the Church Age. In 22:16 you see the local church, in 22:17 you see the Spirit and the body, in 22:17 let anyone who wishes drink the water of life freely. you said Note there is a transition that in verse 14 they are commandments, but in verse 17 they are free.

            (Revelation 22:18 KJV) For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: The text primarily refers to the book of Revelation, but in a broader sense refers to the entire Bible. There are three times in the Bible that warn you about the Word of God. The first comes from (Deuteronomy 4:2 KJV) Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. Next comes from (Proverbs 30:6 KJV) Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. Then Lastly from (Revelation 22:18 KJV)

            (Revelation 22:19 KJV) And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. It should be noted that the first warning was general, but the second warning was specifically related to the Word. These are the words of the book of prophecy. The clearest proof that the Bible is inspired is the fact that non-believers change individual words to destroy the passage.

            (Revelation 22:20 KJV) ¶ He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. And when we also say Amen!, the blessings of the Lord will come upon you. Thus the correspondence is finally ended. And this prayer follows.

            (Revelation 22:21 KJV) The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. The Bible ends with one last great final warning. This warning is the only way for us to participate in the heavenly city and to receive salvation freely. The only way you can joyfully await the return of Christ is by accepting the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who accept grace will live eternally in New Jerusalem with the Lord throughout Eternity. I pray in the name of Lord Jesus Christ that you will preach the gospel and that this blessing will overflow into all of you and those who hear and believe. Amen.